Al Schmidt

Albert Schmidt[1] (born c. 1972[2]) is an American politician and election official who is the Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was a Philadelphia City Commissioner from 2012 to 2022.

Al Schmidt
Schmidt in 2021
Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
Assumed office
January 17, 2023 (2023-01-17)
GovernorJosh Shapiro
Preceded byLeigh M. Chapman (Acting)
Member of the Philadelphia City Commissioners
In office
January 2, 2012 – January 2, 2022
Preceded byJoseph J. Duda
Succeeded bySeth Bluestein
Personal details
Bornc. 1972
Political partyRepublican
SpouseErin
ChildrenMaggie, Grace, Max
Residence(s)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Alma materAllegheny College (BA)
Brandeis University (PhD)
AwardsPresidential Citizens Medal (2023)

Early life and background

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Schmidt graduated from Allegheny College with a B.A. in history, and received a Ph.D. in history from Brandeis University. He served as an analyst for the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States (1999-2001) and the Government Accountability Office (2001-2006).[3]

Political career
Schmidt receives the Presidential Citizens Medal from President Joe Biden in January 2023

Schmidt moved to Philadelphia in 2005, and served as executive director of the Philadelphia Republican City Committee before stepping down in 2009 for an unsuccessful run for City Controller against Democratic incumbent Alan Butkovitz.[3]

City Commissioner

Schmidt was first elected as a Philadelphia City Commissioner in 2011, becoming the only Republican on the three-member municipal election board by winning the one seat reserved for a member who is not part of the majority political party in Philadelphia.[4] He was re-elected in 2015 and 2019.

Schmidt refused to cooperate with the attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election by publicly refuting claims of voter fraud and resisting calls from within his own party to stop counting mail-in ballots.[5] He called some of President Donald Trump's claims "fantastical" and "completely ridiculous allegations that have no basis in fact at all."[6] On November 11, 2020, Trump directly attacked Schmidt on Twitter by claiming he "refuses to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty" in Philadelphia.[7] After Trump's tweet, Schmidt testified that "my wife and I received threats that named our children, included my home address and images of my home, and threated [sic] to put their 'heads on spikes.'"[8]

In late November 2021, Schmidt announced he would resign as a City Commissioner to become president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a nonpartisan, pro-democracy Philadelphia-based nonprofit group.[9] On June 13, 2022, Schmidt testified before the January 6 Committee, detailing the threats against him and his family as well as addressing claims of voter fraud in Philadelphia during the 2020 election.[10]

Secretary of the Commonwealth

On January 5, 2023, Schmidt was named by Pennsylvania Governor-elect Josh Shapiro as the Secretary-designate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The following day, on January 6, 2023, Schmidt was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal by President Joe Biden for demonstrating "courage and selflessness" in opposing efforts to overturn the 2020 election as a City Commissioner.[11][12]

Personal

Schmidt and his wife Erin have three children: Maggie, Grace, and Max.[13]

References
  1. WATCH LIVE: President Biden awards 12 Citizens Medals on Jan. 6 anniversary. PBS NewsHour. January 6, 2023. Event occurs at 41:37. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  2. Prose, J.D. (January 5, 2023). "Al Schmidt, Shapiro's pick for secretary of state, to receive Presidential Citizens Medal". PennLIVE Patriot-News. Advance Local Media LLC. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  3. Prihar, Asha. "10 things to know about Al Schmidt, the former city commissioner tapped for Pa. secretary of state". BillyPenn.
  4. Brennan, Chris (November 30, 2021). "Republican Philly elections official who was target of Trump's attacks is resigning". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  5. Verini, James (December 16, 2020). "He Wanted to Count Every Vote in Philadelphia. His Party Had Other Ideas". New York Times.
  6. Behrmann, Savannah (November 14, 2020). "Trump says the battleground states saw election fraud. Republican officials running those states disagree". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  7. Kanik, Hannah (November 11, 2020). "Trump aims Twitter ire at Commissioner Al Schmidt with claim he ignored voter fraud in Philly". Philly Voice.
  8. Epstein, Reid (January 5, 2023). "Republican Who Rebuffed Trump Is Democrat's Pick for Pennsylvania Election Post". New York Times.
  9. Smith, Allan (January 5, 2023). "Josh Shapiro taps a Republican who stood up to Trump to be Pennsylvania's top elections official". NBC News. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  10. Grabenstein, Hannah (June 13, 2022). "Who is Al Schmidt and why did he testify in the Jan. 6 hearings?". PBS News Hour.
  11. Hooper, Kelly (January 5, 2023). "Biden to award Presidential Citizens Medal to several Jan. 6 heroes". Politico. Retrieved 2023-01-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. Tamari, Jonathan (January 5, 2023). "Ex-Philly elections official Al Schmidt is getting a medal from Joe Biden". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  13. After polls close, a new arrival for Al Schmidt, Philadelphia Inquirer, November 7, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
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